One of the most anticipated movies coming to Netflix in 2022 will be featured at the 79th Venice Film Festival, Andrew Dominik’s Blonde, the biopic of Marilyn Monroe. Below is everything we know so far about Blonde, including the plot, cast, Netflix’s first movie NC-17 rating, and more.
Blonde is an upcoming Netflix Original biopic-drama based on the life of the Marilyn M0nroe, and the adaptation of the 2000 novel of the same name by author Joyce Carol Oates. The biopic is directed by Andrew Dominik, who previously directed episodes of David Fincher’s Mindhunter and his first movie since Killing Them Softly (2012) which he both directed and wrote.
The movie is produced by two-time Oscar winners Dede Gardner (12 Years a Slave), and Jeremy Kleiner (Moonlight). Brad Pitt, who previously worked on Dominik’s Killing Them Softly, is a producer alongside Tracey Landon (Marriage Story) and Scott Robertson (Halston).
When is Blonde coming to Netflix?
Blonde is scheduled for a global release on Netflix sometime in 2022.
We know for certain that Blonde will arrive on Netflix sometime after September 10th, 2022 as the feature will premiere at this year’s 79th Venice Film Festival.
Director, Andrew Dominik had the following to say about the film’s upcoming Venice Fim Festival premiere:
I guess it could have gone to Venice last year. It could have come out in the sort of fall crop last year, but…it took a while to cut it. All my films take a while to cut. The idea is it goes to Venice now, so what’s that, September? Yes, indeed it is.
For now, we’re waiting for Netflix to officially announce the release date for Blonde.
What is the plot of Blonde?
Blonde is a fictionalized biopic of the beloved actress and model Marilyn Monroe, from her time as an orphan in LA, to her rise as a world-famous actress, the face of Hollywood’s sexual revolution, and to her tragic death.
Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe on the set of Blonde – Picture. Plan B Entertainment
Dominik did not fail to go into detail about what to expect from Blonde:
It uses all the imagery that you have seen of Marilyn Monroe, the films, and photographs of her life. But it changes the meaning of all those things in accordance with her internal drama. So it’s sort of a movie about the unconscious in a way. And it’s a tragedy. It’s sort of like an unwanted child who becomes the most wanted woman in the world and has to deal with all of the desire that is directed at her, and how confusing that is. It’s kind of a nightmare. It’s about being in a car with no brakes. It’s just going faster and faster and faster.
Who are the cast members of Blonde?
The role of Norma Jeane Mortensen aka Marilyn Monroe will be taken on by Cuban actress Ana de Armas. Over the past several years Ana de Armas has become one of the most in-demand actresses in Hollywood, having starred in Blade Runner 2049, Knives Out, and No Time to Die. Not to mention she’ll also be starring in Netflix’s upcoming summer blockbuster The Gray Man.
Outside of the UK, beloved period crime-drama Peaky Blinders is a Netflix Original, so on a technicality Adrian Brody has already made his “Netflix debut.” However, this does mean Blonde will be Brody’s Netflix Original movie debut. Brody will take on the role of American playwright and screenwriter Arthur Miller, the third ex-husband of Marilyn Monroe at the time of her death.
Below is the cast list for Blonde:
| Role | Cast Member |
|---|---|
| Norma Jeane Mortensen / Marilyn Monroe | Ana de Armas |
| Arthur Miller | Adrien Brody |
| Joe DiMaggio | Bobby Cannavale |
| Gladys Pearl Baker | Julianne Nicholson |
| John F. Kennedy | Caspar Phillipson |
| Allen “Whitey” Snyder | Toby Huss |
| Miss Flynn | Sara Paxton |
| Darryl F. Zanuck | David Warshofsky |
| Edward G. Robinson Jr. | Evan Williams |
| Charles Chaplin Jr. | Xavier Samuel |
| TBA | Garret Dillahunt |
| TBA | Scoot McNairy |
| TBA | Lucy DeVito |
| Tony Curtis | Michael Masini |
What is Blonde’s rating and runtime?
It has already been confirmed that Blonde is Netflix’s first official Original movie with an NC-17 rating. In the UK this is the equivalent of an 18 rating.
Dominik had the following to say regarding Netflix’s approval of the NC-17 cut:
Netflix is letting me release the movie I wanted to make, and even with the NC-17 rating, I think that’s pretty good.
As for the film’s runtime, that information is currently unknown, but Dominik has already alluded to a long runtime by joking that by asking the director what their film’s runtime is like the equivalent of asking a woman her age.
Ana de Armas on the set of Blonde – Picture. Plan B Entertainment
Is Blonde a future Oscar winner?
Always happy to speak his mind, Andrew Dominik has already expressed his opinion that Blonde will go down in history as “one of the 10 best movies ever made.”
If Dominik is correct, then it should be a clean sweep for Blonde at next year’s 95th Academy Awards.
The record number of Academy Awards currently stands at 11, which is shared between only three films;
- Ben Hur (1959)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
- Titanic (1997)
There’s also the challenge of winning the “Big Five,” which has only been accomplished by three movies in Hollywood history;
- It Happened One Night (1934)
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
To win the “Big Five” you need to win the Academy Awards for;
- Best Picture
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Screenplay (Original or Adapted)
- Best Director
Good luck to Andrew Dominik and the cast and crew for next year’s Oscars ceremony.
What is the production status of Blonde?
Official Production Status: Post-Production (Last Updated: 26/04/2022)
Blonde has been a long time in the making, and filming was completed on the project three years ago in 2019 between August and October. Naturally, the global pandemic in 2020 would have greatly impacted the post-production process,
Dominik has spent much of the time in post-production editing and cutting the film.
Are you looking forward to the release of Blonde on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!